Tony Annunziata the singer songwriter, my mom the soulful singer, and then there’s me. I loved singing with them, but there was something magical about watching my parents perform.
Dad was a member of two songwriters groups and attended them without fail. He was happy to learn, eager to critique, and ready to share a new song every single week. We did our fair share of performing as a family. Open mic nights, gigs around town, weddings etc... and I loved it when we sang original music with the exception of a handful of songs. One of my favorites: Dan Folhelberg’s Leader of The Band.
Tony was our leader and my parents had a sound that was all their own. It is this song and the love for music that I write this with a heavy heart.
My dad was way better with words. He always said I was too verbose to be a songwriter. There are simply not enough words in the English dictionary to describe exactly how I feel right now. My father passed away this morning at 9:09am at St. Joseph’s hospital. He was surrounded by his amazing wife Maria M. Annunziata, Jarrad Singman & myself at the time. It is absolutely soul crushing to talk to you about his battle with diabetes & this past month with Stage 4 esophageal cancer.
So, I’ll do my best to focus on who he was and how he lived.
My life has been a poor attempt to imitate the man. I’m just a living legacy to the Leader of the Band.
My dad was an amazing man of few spoken words. He always let the music say what he couldn’t in person. He loved his family fiercely and I couldn’t be more proud to be part of his legacy. Shout out to everyone for the calls, texts & messages. We are still processing everything that’s happened. Maria M Annunziata is the strongest one of all of us. She has handled all of this with grace, humility, and love. I’m so proud of her.
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